Air conditioner



R. l.1. s-MITH 2,187,954r

AIR GONDITIONER 2 Sheets-Sheet l Filed' neef 1s, 193'.'

. Patented Jan. 23, 19240 UNITED. S'IA'rss PATENT OFFICE Russell J.Smith, Richmond Heights, Mo. Application December 13, 1937,- Serial No.179,475

3 Claims.

This invention relates to air conditioners for use within residences andother buildings.

- An object of the invention is to-provide an improved device or systemfor conditioning or regu- Fig. 2 is a plan view of a part of theinvention u showing the device for causing circulation of the air withinand through the building.

Fig. 3 is a, horizontal sectional View approximately on the line 3-3 ofFig. 1,

The embodiment of the invention shown is within a building having wallsI, a ceiling 2, a floor 3, and a room, space, or basement'4. A boiler orwater heater .5 is located in thevroom, space, or basement 4.

A blower 6 is cooperatively included in the invention. lAs shown, theblower is mounted in a tor 8 to-impel air through a passage 9communicating with a manifold I0, and to expel the air through anoutlet- I I. The manifold I is connected by numerous passages I2 with areceptacle I3 located within the room', space, or basement 4. Thesepassages I2 are concealed within the walls I by the inner wall surfacesI4 and are insulated from said walls by insulation I4. Said passages I2are relatively narrow and elongated, as should be understood byreference to Figs. 2- and 3, and the upper portions I5 of said passagesflare or widen considerably toward the manifold I0 in a relationship inwhich the lower portion of the manifold I0 is below said passages, sothat said manifold will receive and retain a quantity of water or otheruid I6 butwill permit the' fluid, as it rises in the manifold, tooverflow into the widened portions I5 of the passages I2, and `topass'downwardly along the walls of said passages into thereceptacle I3.The receptacle I3 is provided in its upper side with slots or openings II through which air may enter said receptacle to be impelled upwardlythrough the passages I2 and into the manifold I0 and thence throughv thepassage 9. l

A pipe I8 has one end opening into the receptacle I3, and the oppositeend opening into oneside of a pump I9. A pipe 20 opens from the ,oppoesite side of the pump I9 and into the boiler 5,

space, room, or attic 1, and is operated by a mofrom which a pipe 2|forms a passage opening into the manifold I0. The pipe 20 is equippedwith a valve 22 by which said pipe 2U maybe opened and closed.

vA branch pipe 23 opens from the pipe 20 into 5 one end of a suitableheat exchanger 24 of known construction and adaptation. The pipe 23 isbetween the pump I9 and the valve 22 so that, even when the valve 22 isclosed, the pump I9 may pump water into and through the heat exchanger24 from which a pipe 25 forms a passage into the main water sup-ply tank26. The heat exchanger 24 functions to cool thewater in warm weather.This tank 26 may be a sour-ce of supply of either well water or icewater, or other water or water cooled mechanically or otherwise. Abranch pipe 21 opens into` the pipe 20 between the valve 22 and theboiler 5, and also opens into the pipe between the heat exchanger 24 anda valve 28 in said pipe 25, which is operative to 20 open and close saidpipe 25. The pipe 2'I contains a valve 29 which may be opened andclosed, and a check valve 25' in the pipe 25 prevents flow of fluid fromthe tank 26 toward the heat exchanger 24 and the pipe 21. 25

As shown (Fig. 1), the pipe 25 opens into the lower part of the tank 26.A pipe 30 opening into the upper part of the tank 26 constitutes apassage therefrom to the manifold I0 into which the upper end of saidpipe 30V opens'.

In warm weather, the valves 22 and 29 are kept closed and the valve 28is kept open. The pump I9 will pump waterbr other fluid fromthereceptacle I3 through the pipe I8 and thence through the pipe 23 intoand through the heatV exchanger 35 24, and thence through the pipe 25into the tank 26. From the tank 26 the water is forced through the pipe30 into the manifold I0, from which portions of the water overflow intothe widened parts I5 of the passages I2, and thence through said 40passages I2 into the receptacle I3. The blower 6 being in operationdraws air through the openings I1 and thence through the passages I2,where the air is intimately contacted with the downflowing water, andthence through the widened .4,54 f

parts I5 of said passages I2 into the manifold -IIL The air movementabove referred to, being at considerable velocity, causes agitation ofthe water surfaces, and evaporation of certain amounts of this water upto the maximum humidity capacity of the air. This evaporation processwill extract its required heat of evaporation largelyvfrom the film ofwater flowing down through the passages I2, resulting in a definitelowering of the temperature o! this water illm. The tendency will thenbe for this water lm to extract heat from the wall surfaces IB, thuslowering the temperature of the adjacent rooms formed by these Walls.

In cool weather, the valve 22 is kept open and the valves 28 and 29 arekept closed. Both the blower 6 and the pump I9, or either of them, willbe started and stopped intermittently as desired, under control of theknown thermostatic device. Operation of the pump will draw Water fromthe receptacle I3 through the pipe I8 and discharge said water throughthe pipe 20 into the boiler 5, and thence through the pipe 2| into themanifold I6. The boiler will keep the water warm, and this warm water isintermittently discharged into the manifold I0 as desired. From themanifold I0 a portion of the warm water overflows into the passages I5,I2, and is thereby returned to the receptacle I3. Operation of theblower 6 draws air through the openings I'I into the receptacle I3 andthence through the passages I2, I5 into the manifold I0. During movementof the air through the passages I2, I5, the air is intimately contactedwith the warm water owing downwardly through said passages, and isthereby warmed and humidiiied before it enters the manifold I0. From themanifold III, the blower 6 draws the warm air through the passage 9 anddischarges said warm air through the outlet I I leading to the desiredpoints of distribution of humidied air within the living zone.

New water may be supplied to the tank 26 from a water system, well orother source of supply through a pipe 33 arranged to conduct water fromsuch source of supply into the pipe 25 between the check valve 25 andthe tank 26. Flow of water through the pipe 33 may be controlled by anelectrically, mechanically or manually operated valve 34.' Ifelectrically or mechanically operated, said valve 34 may be opened andclosed by the known oat device 3l in the receptacle I3 arranged tooperate a switch 32 controlling the supply of 'electrical energy to acontrol device 35 for said valve 34. This equipment is known and is onlyconventionally shown since the details thereof are not specificallyclaimed. A known humidostat device (not shown) may be used to operatethe blower 6 in cool weather.

From the foregoing, it should be apparent that my invention is of ahighly simplified nature, may be assembled at comparatively low cost,and is efficient in operation both in warm weather and in cool weather.The invention may be varied Within equivalent limits without departurefrom the nature and principle thereof, as defined by the appendedclaims.

I claim: l

1. An air conditioner comprising a manifold arranged to contain air andwater, means forming a combined air inlet and water outlet passage foradmitting air into and conducting water from said manifold, a watersupply tank, a pipe for conducting water from said tank into saidmanifold and opening into said manifold substantially above the level ofthe water therein, a receptacle arranged to receive water from saidpassage and to admit air into said passage, a pump for receiving waterfrom mid receptacle and forcing said water into said tank and thencethrough said pipe into said manifold, means for admitting water to saidtank from an exterior source of supply, and mechanism operated by thewater in said receptacle controlling said last named admission of waterinto said tank.

2. An air conditioner comprising a manifold arranged to contain air andwater, a water supply tank opening into said manifold for supplyingwater thereto, means forming a passage opening into said manifoldsubstantially above the bottom thereof for admitting air into saidmanifold and conducting water therefrom, a receptaf cle for receivingwater from said passage, a device for tempering the'water, a pumpreceiving water from said receptacle and pumping said water into saidmanifold, means for admitting water to said tank from an exterior sourceof supply, and mechanism operated by the water in said receptaclecontrolling said last named admission of water into said tank.

3. An air conditioner comprising a manifold arranged to contain air andwater, walls forming a passage that is oblong in cross section, beingwide .in one direction and narrow in the transverse direction, andopening into said manifold substantially above the bottom thereof foradmitting air into said manifold and conducting water therefrom alongone of said walls, a receptacle for receiving water owing from saidmanifold through said passage along one of said walls and leaving saidpassage open for the movement of air therethrough into said manifold,means forming a passage for conducting water into said manifold, a pumparranged to receive water from said receptacle and to force said waterthrough said last named passage into said manifold, a pipe for admittingwater into said last-named passage from a source of supply, and a deviceoperated by the water in said receptacle controlling the admission ofwater from said source of supply into said last named passage.

RUSSELL J. SMITH.

